What decent FREE firewalls are out there?

[Jediphile]

I think my system is doing a number on me, because it won't let me initialize Zonealarm properly on start-up anymore, and it won't let me reinstall it either...

 

So farewell to it.

 

What can I use instead, if I'm too much of a cheapskate to pay a single penny?

[kirottu]

I have Sygate.

[Oerwinde]

I think my system is doing a number on me, because it won't let me initialize Zonealarm properly on start-up anymore, and it won't let me reinstall it either...

 

So farewell to it.

 

What can I use instead, if I'm too much of a cheapskate to pay a single penny?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Like... legally free?

[Moose]

Good question, because last time I checked Zonealarm wasn't freeware.

[Jediphile]

I have Sygate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So did I, but they closed the support for it when someone bought the company (Symantic, I think). A damn shame too. That was a good program

[Jediphile]

Good question, because last time I checked Zonealarm wasn't freeware.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, it's not freeware, but you can download and use it without paying

 

link

[Hurlshort]

Not paying for a decent Firewall is like inviting some guy in who offers to clean your house for free. It's a bad idea. But I have a router, and that coupled with Windows firewall is pretty decent coverage. I still have Norton Anti-Virus if the bleep hits the fan.

[Krookie]

I use Norton too, but I'm pretty sure it came with my computer.

[Atreides]

Norton 2006 is a bit too aggressive for my taste. It updates and installs components that I don't need. 2005 was perfect in my opinion.

[taks]

Not paying for a decent Firewall is like inviting some guy in who offers to clean your house for free.  It's a bad idea.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

zonealarm has enough of a reputation that this would not be bad. in general, however, i agree.

 

i think the non-free version of ZA, btw, is just more powerful with added features. i used to use it, but i got a router, too, and a software firewall is no longer a requirement. if you want cheap, go with mcafee. i had good results with it.

 

mark

[taks]

norton is, in general, a resource hog. it probably works better than any, but the cost in aggravation is too high for my tastes.

 

mark

[Pidesco]

Not paying for a decent Firewall is like inviting some guy in who offers to clean your house for free.  It's a bad idea.  But I have a router, and that coupled with Windows firewall is pretty decent coverage.  I still have Norton Anti-Virus if the bleep hits the fan.

 

 

You can always kidnap a guy and force him to work for you.

[metadigital]

Hardware firewalls are the best. Windows XPSP2 is okay, but I wouldn't trust it. I have just purchased System Mechanic Professional v.6 (for

[alanschu]

I don't even use a firewall.

[Atreides]

Actually I meant McAfee 2006.

[Jediphile]

McAfee is anti-virus, not a firewall, isn't it?

 

Anyway, it is limited in duration if free (and actually if you pay too...), so I don't use it. For free anti-virus with endless updates and no deadline in sight (so far - it says there is one but keeps pushing it whenever I get within three months of it...), I use anti-vir, which I believe is a german program, but then who cares - a professional computer geek adviced to me a few years back, and I've never had problems with it.

 

http://www.free-av.com/

 

As for the reasoning behind not trusting such a program, I don't agree with it. After all, it's in everyone else's interest that I don't spread vira or other stuff around, so giving me a free program that doesn't work is a very bad idea, unless they want to spread the very vira they claim to fight.

 

I've never had to pay for firewalls or anti-virus, and I don't intend to either. The same goes for anti-spyware programs, where I use both Spybot and Ad-Aware.

Edited June 28, 2006 by Jediphile

[Dark_Raven]

I use Zone Alarm and my ISP's own firewall.

[taks]

McAfee is anti-virus, not a firewall, isn't it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

they have everything. they just happen to be better known for their anti-virus software. i do not believe zonealarm is limited duration, though you have to put up with ads, as i recall.

 

alanschu - you are playing with fire not running a firewall. you probably get 100 or more back-door attempts to access your system if you are on any type of always-on connection, i.e. cable modem, DSL, etc. when i first got mine, i watched the logs that night. unbelievable. of course, if you're on a dialup, it's not that big of a deal.

 

adaware and spybot are good for trackers and webbugs and clean up associated cookies, but they don't stop the attack. neither can prevent a hacker from giving you a trojan nor find a true virus. edit: yes, i realize you were speaking about spyware in particular, just noting the obvious. personally, i run adaware rather often.

 

taks

Edited June 28, 2006 by taks

[Oerwinde]

I don't even use a firewall.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Me neither. Too much of a hassle.

[alanschu]

Not only can it be a hassle, but I find it to be overrated.

 

I see posts of people on teh internets that talk about how they have to take their firewall down for a few minutes, and sure enough there's some guy trying to attack their system.

 

Meh.

[Pidesco]

Not only can it be a hassle, but I find it to be overrated.

 

I see posts of people on teh internets that talk about how they have to take their firewall down for a few minutes, and sure enough there's some guy trying to attack their system.

 

Meh.

 

 

I take down the firewall for a few minutes and all hell breaks loose on my system.

[Kaftan Barlast]

alanschu - you are playing with fire not running a firewall.  you probably get 100 or more back-door attempts to access your system if you are on any type of always-on connection, i.e. cable modem, DSL, etc.  when i first got mine, i watched the logs that night.  unbelievable.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

But was that 100 certified attempts to break in or was it simply 100 instances of the firewall recieving data it did not recognise? If I log into my router and check the logs I get about one such warning every 2 minutes but that is just signals the ISP server and routers send to say hi and check if the connection works.

 

 

 

The WinXP firewall should really be all you need unless you want to be able to precisely control what comes in and out of your computer, which most programs aimed at the common user (zonealarm etc.) dont do. It also you requires you to know a great deal about TCP/IP and other protocols to be able to interpret the information you get.

[Diamond]

Firewall is not a silver bullet. Sure it rules out some types of malware, but the majority of threats won't be stopped by firewall (I agree with alanschu, firewalls are overrated). When I boot in Windows I don't run any antivirus software, I only use firewall of my router and never have had a single problem in 3 years.

 

Also, much of malware rely on the fact that user has administrative privileges (which is often the case!).

 

So all you need to be safe is a basic firewall, turning off administrative priviliges of your account, following good security practices, and having some common sense.

[taks]

But was that 100 certified attempts to break in or was it simply 100 instances of the firewall recieving data it did not recognise? If I log into my router and check the logs I get about one such warning every 2 minutes but that is just signals the ISP server and routers send to say hi and check if the connection works.

about half and half, and it was actually just from that evening, not a whole day (got it installed then checked later that night). originally, this was on the time warner network in florida. i have not checked recently with adelphia.

 

granted, ISPs such as adelphia and time warner may have also upgraded their systems since then to aid in the trojan rejection.

 

taks

[alanschu]

I have been playing with fire for years now though :\